Strategies for successful project implementation – including competitive fiscals and project preparation facilities – were discussed at the Invest in African Energy (IAE) forum on Tuesday. The IAE forum is organized by Energy Capital&Power (www.EnergyCapitalPower.com).

A project-focused panel at the Invest in African Energy forum explored strategies for successful project implementation – from FID to start-up – as Africa seeks to develop traditional fossil fuel resources alongside next-generation solutions.

Amid shifting investor priorities, the panel addressed how Africa can fast-track the development of its energy system and maximize energy resiliency through strong fiscal terms and low costs of extraction and production, along with a reduced carbon footprint.

“We are living through an energy transition period. It’s not only the cost of production that matters – it’s also your carbon intensity,” said Dr. Carole Nakhle, CEO of Crystol Energy and President of Access for Women in Energy. 

“We are still battling with energy access, hence the need to categorize the shade of green of the energy transition. It’s a spectrum. As a bank with a strong African footprint, my perspective is energy access,” said Reginald Max, Senior Advisor, Infrastructure and Public Private Partnerships in Lending Operations, Trade and Development Bank.

Aimed at raising the attractiveness of projects on the continent, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) launched a project preparation facility to increase the availability of bankable projects in Africa and provide technical and financial support to companies, from conceptual to execution stages. The facility has a cap of $2 million per project.

“This fund is very flexible. It can be used for capacity building, for pre-feasibility studies, for advisory and legal fees – these are the real costs that project developers face,” said Helen Aigbe Brume, Director of Project and Asset Based Finance for Afreximbank. “We have created a joint project preparation facility where we collaborate and pool our funds together – we have done it with nine institutions on the continent to date.”

The legal and regulatory framework also plays a key role in attracting and de-risking investment in Africa’s energy sector, as well as enabling project developers to compete effectively for private capital.

“The contractual framework is currently sound enough where the traditional mechanisms that are being used, including stabilization, ensure that whether the regime changes or not, you still have the same contracts enforced,” said Zion Adeoye, CEO of pan-African law and advisory firm CLG. “Beyond that, the most enduring is having solid institutions to superintend the development of projects, especially in key sectors, so that changes in the political space do not generally affect the development of projects.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&Power.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has learned with sadness of the passing of Mrs Nomgcibelo Jocelyn Motsuenyane following her loss of her husband of 70 years, Dr Sam Motsuenyane.

The President offers his deep condolences to the Motsuenyane family as they prepare for Ma Motsuenyane’s funeral tomorrow, 15 May 2024.

The President said: “As South Africans, we stand by the Motsuenyanes in your moment of compounded loss.

“Sam and Jocelyn Motsuenyane are icons of their generation whose belief in education and entrepreneurship as keys to self-realisation and reliance sustained communities and contributed to the inclusive economy we continue to build today.

“May they rest together in peace at the end of a life of service and upliftment and a union they shared for 70 years.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

Continuing her farewell meetings, United Nations Special Representative Catriona Laing today visited Hargeisa where she met Somaliland’s leadership and discussed the world body’s support for development and humanitarian efforts.

“We had a very good discussion, and the President talked to me about the development plan, which sets out his economic long-term vision around the benefits of the ‘blue economy,’ around minerals, and thinking about transformation of the livestock trade as we prepare for climate change impacts on the nomadic lifestyle,” Ms. Laing said following a meeting with President Muse Bihi and members of his cabinet and advisors.

“We talked about the UN role in support of delivering the economic vision and all the other work we do around social development, health, education, humanitarian and in other areas,” Ms. Laing added.

The situation in the Laascaanood-Sool region – where conflict flared up last year, resulting in the loss of lives and displacement of thousands of people – was also discussed.

“There have been some challenges in the past and we were both pleased to see that things have calmed down, and the President assured me that it is his objective that the things remain calm,” the UN Special Representative said.

“The UN will play its part,” she continued, “in delivering humanitarian assistance and demining for the benefit of the people in that region.”

UN in Hargeisa

The UN Special Representative also took the opportunity to officially introduce the new head of the UN’s office in Hargeisa, Nikolai Rogosaroff, who took up his post in March this year. She described his presence there as an indication of the UN’s commitment to supporting local development and humanitarian efforts. Currently, more than a dozen UN agencies, funds and programmes operate in Somaliland.

Ms. Laing will complete her assignment later in May.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

The Libyan Mine Action Center announced plans 9 May to develop a country-wide mine action strategy in collaboration with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya’s Mine Action Section

The announcement came during a Tripoli event LibMAC organized, with support from UNSMIL’s Mine Action Section and seven nongovernmental organizations, to commemorate International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance.

The event, themed “Protecting Lives and Building Peace”, launched with speeches from key sector players before moving to a panel discussion and exhibition about demining efforts and activities to raise awareness about the danger of mines and unexploded ordnance. About 200 people attended, including representatives from the Presidential Council and ministries of defense, interior and health; mayors of municipalities and victims affected by landmines and remnants of war; the Ambassador to Libya from the Netherlands; and military attachés from Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy.

In her remarks, Fatma Zourrig, Chief of UNSMIL’s Mine Action Section, gave an overview of how the Mission acts in an advisory capacity, supporting Libyan institutions to clear explosive ordnance to protect civilians and secure and manage weapons stockpiles to prevent proliferation and unplanned explosions.

While Libya has managed to clean up about 36 percent of the hazardous land identified in Libya, about 436 million square meters remain contaminated, Zourrig said.

In the last five years, more than 400 people have been injured or killed in explosive ordnance related accidents, she said. Thirty-five of those happened in the last year. Twenty-six of those victims were children.

“These figures not only highlight the grave challenges we face, but also underscore the vital importance of international partnerships,” she said. “By collaborating, we can strengthen the capacities of the mine action sector, ensuring a safer future for all.”

Developing the Libya Mine Action Strategy will help the country to clarify needs and priorities and identify opportunities and risks, she said. This will guide collaboration between national and international governmental and non-governmental actors, maximizing the impact of mine action efforts and minimizing the risks to communities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).